NSUF 17-1099: In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Study of Radiation Damage Effects on the d-Hydride Microstructure in Irradiated Zircaloy-4
Hydride formation is one of the major embrittling mechanisms for zirconium-based nuclear fuel cladding alloys during in-pile service and out-pile storage/transportation conditions. The radiation-induced dislocation loops are favorable sites to form hydrides and affect their stacking structure. The root cause of the d-hydride stacking behavior is still unknown for cladding. We propose that radiation-induced loops enhances the d-hydride stacking behavior and the phenomena can be studied by post-irradiation characterization of irradiated cladding using TEM with in situ heating/cooling. Sample is available at ORNL’s LAMBDA facility. Microstructural characterization will be performed using the FEI Talos S/TEM optimized for elemental characterization. Ambient and high temperature characterization will be conducted to determine hydride precipitation sites, hydride stacking behavior, dislocation structure and irradiation-induced features. The developed state-of-art techniques will also be applicable to advanced cladding microstructure examinations. The proposed experiments will be the cutting-edge experiments and will leverage the capabilities of NSUF.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Hydride formation is one of the major embrittling mechanisms for zirconium-based nuclear fuel cladding alloys during in-pile service and out-pile storage/transportation conditions. The radiation-induced dislocation loops are favorable sites to form hydrides and affect their stacking structure. The root cause of the d-hydride stacking behavior is still unknown for cladding. We propose that radiation-induced loops enhances the d-hydride stacking behavior and the phenomena can be studied by post-irradiation characterization of irradiated cladding using TEM with in situ heating/cooling. Sample is available at ORNL’s LAMBDA facility. Microstructural characterization will be performed using the FEI Talos S/TEM optimized for elemental characterization. Ambient and high temperature characterization will be conducted to determine hydride precipitation sites, hydride stacking behavior, dislocation structure and irradiation-induced features. The developed state-of-art techniques will also be applicable to advanced cladding microstructure examinations. The proposed experiments will be the cutting-edge experiments and will leverage the capabilities of NSUF. |
| Award Announced Date | 2017-09-20T12:31:19.117 |
| Awarded Institution | Illinois Institute of Technology |
| Facility | Materials Research Collaborative Access Team (MRCAT) |
| Facility Tech Lead | Jeff Terry, Kory Linton |
| Irradiation Facility | None |
| PI | Cem Topbasi |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| Project Type | RTE |
| RTE Number | 1099 |